Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and North Macedonia

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $943 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$943
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Bucharest is 24% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 43.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Bucharest is 37% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 48% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.46 RON 68.4
$7.15 MKD 392
102.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.7 RON 273
$27.49 MKD 1,506
109.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.50 RON 35.46
$5.31 MKD 291
41.24%
Cappuccino
$3.43 RON 16.20
$1.69 MKD 92.6
102.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 RON 11.63
$1.59 MKD 87.3
54.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 RON 11.01
$1.18 MKD 64.7
97.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.80 RON 17.97
$2.22 MKD 122
71.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 RON 19.41
$2.74 MKD 150
49.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 RON 7.79
$1.29 MKD 70.9
27.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.35 RON 6.39
$0.67 MKD 36.64
101.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 RON 8.42
$1.63 MKD 89.1
9.20%
Eggs
$3.66 RON 17.33
$2.32 MKD 127
57.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.57 RON 40.54
$8.16 MKD 447
5.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RON 32.17
$6.70 MKD 367
1.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.72 RON 55.4
$11.95 MKD 655
-1.92%
Apples (1kg)
$1.29 RON 6.11
$1.21 MKD 66.4
6.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 RON 7.37
$1.39 MKD 76.3
12.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.54 RON 7.28
$1.29 MKD 70.5
19.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.48 RON 11.75
$1.84 MKD 101
34.78%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 RON 3.92
$0.88 MKD 47.95
-5.68%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 RON 3.77
$0.99 MKD 54.4
-19.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 RON 3.98
$0.65 MKD 35.77
29.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 RON 4.39
$0.51 MKD 28.07
82.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.44 RON 30.45
$3.20 MKD 175
101.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.32 RON 29.91
$5.50 MKD 301
14.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 RON 5.94
$1.01 MKD 55.1
24.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 RON 7.59
$1.33 MKD 73.0
20.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.81 RON 3.85
$0.70 MKD 38.30
15.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.13 RON 99.9
$26.27 MKD 1,440
-19.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 RON 2.86
$1.24 MKD 67.9
-51.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 RON 2.91
$0.72 MKD 39.31
-15.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.17 RON 29.19
$6.75 MKD 370
-8.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 RON 9.27
$1.46 MKD 79.8
34.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K RON 133.1K
$33.3K MKD 1.8M
-15.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K RON 124.3K
$28.7K MKD 1.6M
-8.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 RON 931
$146 MKD 7,983
35.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.34 RON 39.44
$16.98 MKD 931
-50.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.19 RON 43.47
$17.82 MKD 977
-48.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.87 RON 236
$27.38 MKD 1,501
82.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.99 RON 118
$14.35 MKD 787
74.15%
Cinema Ticket
$8.46 RON 40.01
$6.56 MKD 359
28.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$639 RON 3,023
$268 MKD 14.7K
138.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K RON 68.1K
$4,597 MKD 251.9K
213.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.6 RON 429
$68.2 MKD 3,736
32.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.05 RON 180
$37.57 MKD 2,059
1.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 RON 377
$89.3 MKD 4,895
-10.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.2 RON 441
$102 MKD 5,576
-8.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$673 RON 3,184
$301 MKD 16.5K
123.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$449 RON 2,123
$233 MKD 12.7K
92.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,098 RON 5,195
$529 MKD 29.0K
107.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$729 RON 3,448
$355 MKD 19.4K
105.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,740 RON 17.7K
$1,870 MKD 102.5K
100.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,189 RON 10.4K
$1,307 MKD 71.6K
67.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
North Macedonia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,323 RON 6,259
$727 MKD 39.9K
81.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
4.69
43.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for North Macedonia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$449
North Macedonia
$233 48.2% $216
Eating Out
Bucharest
$226
North Macedonia
$121 46.3% $105
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$222
North Macedonia
$190 14.3% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$214
North Macedonia
$180 15.8% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$136
North Macedonia
$134 1.6% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$67
North Macedonia
$41 39.4% $26
Getting Around
Bucharest
$28
North Macedonia
$34 20.8% $5.8
Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
🕒 Local time
09:05 9:05 AM
08:05 8:05 AM
1 h behind Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
1,836,713
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest North Macedonia 470 km
From you
  • Bucharest
  • North Macedonia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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